With the bulk of the offseason settled, ESPN released its latest NFL power rankings. The Pittsburgh Steelers are in a familiar average spot, far behind the Baltimore Ravens and Cincinnati Bengals in the AFC North. The Steelers came in 17th compared to the Ravens’ fifth spot and the Bengals’ 10th-place slotting.
Only the Cleveland Browns are lower in the North, bringing up the division’s rear at 30th.
For Pittsburgh, it’s no change from ESPN’s latest list. In the accompanying blurb that outlined the biggest offseason upgrade, Steelers beat reporter Brooke Pryor cited defensive line.
“Mike Tomlin said the team had “extreme urgency” in adding to the defensive line, and it showed in the draft. The Steelers used their first-round pick on Derrick Harmon, a versatile defensive tackle who models his game after Cameron Heyward‘s. Then, the Steelers double-dipped at the position with big-bodied tackle Yahya Black, who coaches said can play nose tackle but will likely be a 4-technique. That leaves the Steelers with a crowded defensive line room, but it’s a good problem to have, as they struggled to stop the run last season.”
Pittsburgh has been busy adding to the defensive trenches. In free agency, the team signed Daniel Ekuale and Esezi Otomewo though both are backups in an ideal world. The draft brought the team’s big swing, the Steelers selecting Oregon DL Derrick Harmon in the first round. He became the team’s first defensive line pick in the first round since Cam Heyward in 2011. To round out the competition, Iowa’s Yahya Black was added in the fifth round.
Just in the way the team aggressively attacked offensive line during the 2023 and 2024 drafts, defensive line received plenty of love this time around. Pittsburgh will bank on combating Baltimore’s powerful running game that posted 299 yards against a tired-looking Steelers front in an AFC Wild Card game.
The top team in ESPN’s power rankings is the Kansas City Chiefs. Despite getting blown out in the Super Bowl, they’re still one spot ahead of the Philadelphia Eagles. Despite signing QB Russell Wilson, the New York Giants rank last.
